You Should Be Writing in French
I often repeat that in order to be able to speak French, you have to train speaking in French. And so I encourage you to have conversations, and to speak to yourself out loud in French.
But in language learning, there are actually 4 core skills:
- Speaking
- Listening
- Reading
- And writing
And if you want to become a truly fluent French speaker, you need to train all four of those core skills.
The four skills are linked
Because when I’m talking about the four core skills (listening, reading, writing, speaking), I don’t mean that they are separated.
There is not a clear barrier between speaking and writing, and writing and reading, and writing and understanding. It’s all linked. If you progress in one, you will see progress in another one.
In the same way that if you don’t work on one of the skills, it will become harder to progress in any other.
In other words, sometimes, to be able to speak better, you need to learn to write better. And if you want to be able to read better, you might need to work on your listening skills…
It’s all linked.
But I’m talking about listening and speaking a lot. So today I want to concentrate on writing. And make a case of why you should write more in French.
Why is learning to write important?
Being able to write and read is immensely useful, especially in our digital age.
On the internet, sending messages, understanding signalization, reading further on a topic you enjoy, learning and sharing knowledge with others are all made possible through the ability to read and write fluently.
And so being literate is crucial. Also in your target language, also in French.
You cannot learn French and be able to use French in your daily life if you can’t read and write in French.
That’s pretty obvious, right? But it’s not just that.
Writing in French is also one of the best exercises you can do to understand French and progress in French.
Actually, that’s one of the exercises I give most often to my students. I ask them to write in French, no matter their level.
Because writing is an exceptional opportunity to progress.
And for many reasons.
1. Identify areas of difficulties
That’s probably the biggest benefit to writing. In any language.
What you can articulate, what you can say, you know. And that applies to concepts, like math theories, and such, but also to language.
If you can use the past compound, the passé composé, then you know it.
And so, when you try to write, you will quickly identify what you can say and what you cannot say. And every time you get stuck, you will know that you stumbled upon something that you don’t quite understand. That applies to grammar, structure, and vocabulary.
And that’s good. That’s good because all you need to do from here is fix this and you’ll progress.
2. Identify the vocabulary you need
Another thing you will quickly see if you start writing in French, is what words you should know. Especially when you are writing about your day.
The vocabulary you need is always going to be slightly different for yourself than for someone else. Your job, the places you live in, your family… and those don’t look like mine or someone else’s. So the words are going to differ a little bit.
You might need to have vocabulary related to farming if you are a farmer. You might need more vocabulary related to legal matters if you are a lawyer…
And so when you write, you will quickly see the vocabulary you need. And, if you make a habit of writing about your day, you will also repeat it often enough to memorise it very quickly.
3. Focussed kind of exercise
Those first two benefits, are actually possible because writing is a focussed kind of exercise.
It can be difficult to identify vocabulary and difficulties when you speak, because there is an extra layer of stress attached to speaking. And if you want to have a conversation, the focus should be on flow rather than perfection.
But when you write, you have all the time in the world to make your sentences and look up vocabulary and go back to what you’ve written before…
So it’s very beneficial in that way.
4. Feedback can be more precise
Another reason why writing is such a good exercise is because you can get very precise feedback on your production.
You know, when I have conversations with my students, I don’t correct everything. First because it would be extremely difficult to keep track of it all while staying focussed on the conversation, but also because it would overwhelm my students.
But the other day, I had a student send me a resume of a short story she read, and I send her back a detailed feedback. And she then sent me back her questions on the feedback.
We couldn’t have done this while speaking. But it was very beneficial for her to get the feedback.
You can also use tools like Language Tools to do that for you if you can’t afford a tutor.
5. Can be a source of motivation and accountability
Something else you’ll find if you start writing in French more, is that it might become a source of motivation and accountability.
Especially for those of you who don’t have a teacher or a tutor to talk to regularly.
If you make a habit of writing in French, you can use this writing as a proof of your dedication. It is extremely rewarding to see the writing accumulate. It makes you feel like you are building something.
It’s also something simple to do. You don’t need an app for this, you can have a dedicated journal or do that in your note-taking app of choice. So it makes it easy to do. And that’s a good thing for your motivation, too.
It can also act as a record of progress, which is always fun to look back on.
6. Regular writing practice leads to improved fluency, coherence, and accuracy.
This is something I’m especially passionate about.
Writing is such a great skill to develop anyway, because it allows you to become more articulate when you speak. It’s like you’re thinking on paper. And you’re doing mental work you wouldn’t have been doing otherwise. Reflecting on your day, yourself, your emotions, and your environment. Uncovering ideas that might change how you view the world.
I personally write a lot. And it’s been the single most important habit of my life. It has helped me grow and understand parts of me and parts of my life to an extent I wouldn’t have been able to do if I wasn’t writing.
So that’s a bonus benefit, if you will.
But now you might be wondering…
How to start writing in French
And what to write about.
You can write about anything, really. Your day, a movie you’ve watched, a book, ideas that you have… But I understand that sometimes, when you sit to write, it’s difficult to start. And that makes it difficult to start the habit of writing in French.
So I’ve put together a writing challenge.
With this challenge, you will write a little bit every day, learning new vocabulary, working on your fluency, and improving your French overall.
The challenge includes 96 writing prompts delivered to your email inbox every day for a month. That’s 3 prompts every day, so you have a choice over what to write about.
Each prompt is carefully crafted to challenge you and expand your French skills. But the prompts are also designed to be flexible, allowing you to take them in whatever direction you choose.
And the best part? You only need to dedicate a few minutes each day to complete the challenge. You can fit learning French into your busy schedule.
I also invite you to subscribe to the French newsletter.
Once you are subscribed you will receive an email every Sunday, entirely in French, with extra tips to learn French , a little story to read, vocabulary and often discount on my French learning material.
It’s entirely free.
